Franklin County Fair to mark 165 years

There’s not just one reason to visit this year’s Franklin County Fair in Greenfield, there are 165 of them.

The fair, which begins today for four days when the gates swing open at 3 p.m., is 165 years. To celebrate the occasion, this year’s official fair poster is emblazoned with the phrase “165 Reasons To Go To The Franklin County Fair.” It depicts a cow with all of the reasons printed on the moo-moo’s body such as “crafts, Robinson’s Racing Pigs, cotton candy, carousel, baby barnyard, Flying Bobs, ducks, chickens, games” and many more.

“Another reason this year is Sylvia Fletcher, a female ventriloquist who will perform every day. I’ve seen her twice and I’ve almost fallen off my chair both times from laughing so much and, of course, she has her dummy with her,” said fair president Linda Fisher, who is also excited about Reithoffer Shows, their new midway operators.

“They have a huge Gondola ride that I’m told takes four trucks just to get it here. I personally haven’t seen it, but a couple of our fair members have and they say it is huge. They’ll be bringing plenty of rides to our fair, including the Zipper and some nice kiddie rides, too,” said Fisher.

As in past years, the fair’s longtime tradition of holding a kick-off parade continues as floats and marching units will travel through downtown Greenfield beginning at 5 p.m. and head toward the fairgrounds.

Other attractions this year include Stoney Roberts Demotion Derby, Shriner clowns, senior bingo, lumberjack show, the Flying High Frisbee Dogs, K9 unit demonstrations, firefighters’ muster, New England Center for the Circus Arts, fair museum, fish and game exhibits and more.

There will also be plenty of musical entertainment throughout the fair including performances by the Greenfield Military Band, Pat and Tex LaMountain, Lost in the Grove, keyboard player Shirley Thompson, Heart of the Valley Chorus and others.

The fair will also host the Texaco Country Showdown on Friday and Saturday night as regional finalists compete to advance to the finals in Nashville and the chance to win a recording contract and $100,000.

It’s a proven fact that among the many reasons people flock to fairs every fall is for the food. And the Franklin County Fair promises a bounty of yummies.

“Our food is excellent. Now we have a full meal available. We have a woman who runs a Polish food booth who has purchased another booth and sells a full turkey dinner, as well as turkey salad and turkey meatloaf,” said Fisher.

“Of course, we also have hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries and all the other fair foods that people come to expect,” she added.

And, in keeping with the long tradition of many “country” fairs with an agricultural bent – the Franklin County Fair is run by the Franklin County Agricultural Society – fairgoers will see all kinds of agricultural and animal exhibits and competitions including draft horse draws, sheep show, dairy cattle show, youth draft oxen pull, youth rabbit judging.

According to Fisher, what brings people to the gates of the Franklin County and other area fairs is the plain and simple fact that “people just love fairs.”

“I grew up around the fair. My dad worked in the fish and game building and the fair was where I would go when I was a teen. Back then school was cancelled on the Wednesday of the fair, and we had $2 as kids to spend and I would go on the rides and play all of the games, and I still might have some change left. We also brought our lunch and sat in the grandstands watching high school bands perform along with cheerleaders cheering,” said Fisher.

The fair president also noted many people have their own fair favorites, saying for some it is the rides and for others it might be the games.

“For the elderly, they especially love going through our historic Roundhouse, which is actually a two-floor round building filled with crafts and produce,” said Fisher.